Sunday, March 23, 2014

From An Old Albany Family

Union
Brigadier General Henry Bell Van Rensselaer a New York State Representative and
Congressman, died March 23rd 1864.

Henry Bell
Van Rensselaer was born May 14th 1810 at the family manor in Albany,
New York, the son of Stephen and Margaret (Schuyler) Van Rensselaer III. He received an appointment to the United
States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1831. He served in the 5th United States
Infantry until January 27th 1832, when he resigned his commission. Van Rensselaer then settled near Ogdensburg,
New York to be a gentleman farmer and serve as the military aide to New York
State Governor William H Seward. Running
as a Whig, he was elected to Congress, serving from 1841 to 1843.

When the
Civil War started Van Rensselaer rejoined the military, with the rank of
Colonel, he was appointed to Chief of Staff for Union General Winfield Scott. He served as the Union Inspector General from
November 1861 until his death. Van
Rensselaer died March 23rd 1863 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is buried in the Grace Episcopal
Churchyard in Jamaica, Queens, New York.